HHN XXI Speculation

[Maggot]

...a no alcohol night...

While that would be very welcome, whats to keep someone from getting an alcoholic beverage at any of the restaurants/bars/clubs in CityWalk before they get to the event? Hate to say it but I doubt that would work.

[Cody]

While that would be very welcome, whats to keep someone from getting an alcoholic beverage at any of the restaurants/bars/clubs in CityWalk before they get to the event? Hate to say it but I doubt that would work.

Absolutely nothing, but that's why you turn away people who are too drunk for safety reasons. Angry and/or stupid drunks are one of the biggest security issues anywhere, especially HHN. At least at a concert they have to THROW stuff to hit people.

[HORRORLANDO]

No alcohol at HHN would be a nice change of pace. I mentioned before that it really makes me upset when I start to go through a house at HHN and the outside of it has been damaged or destroyed in some way. Now I'm not saying that it's always the drunk people who do this but I'm pretty sure that they are at least 75% to blame. The other 25% are just plain jackasses. I just don't see the point in drinking alcohol in order to have fun at an event. Especially Halloween Horror Nights...

[Legacy]

They've tried "No Alcohol" before. A few years back, there were a couple of accidents from people leaving the event, and an upper-level manager (who was new to his position) declared "No Alcohol" "for the rest of the event." It was back the following week because of A) Complaints and Lower Profits. It lasted maybe two days.

I believe it was 2005 or 2006. Maybe 2004 (but I don't think so.)

The precedent has been set, and it won't change. Sorry.

[JDW]

OK so I gleaned a little from the Forum tonight in regards of speculation:

Oh and here are some pics from the night...

1.) I knew it was the case but T.J. specifically told me Universal and no I.O.A. Like I said I knew that but now you've heard it right from the man.

2.) David Sauls was talking about metrics and it sounded like we will get more buttons to press this year.

3.) Finally, last year the stage looked like this:

Notice it was a collage of all the years... just like last year... Now this is what the stage looked like this year:

Could this be a hint?

Edited April 23, 2011 by JWFearman

[Cody]

If they're aiming for all original, I don't think so. It could have been celebrating the original monsters that allowed for Universal to become a big name in horror and were the centerpiece of Fright Nights.

[Goo]

If those are hints, I'd be really disappointed. But I doubt they are. It'll be interesting to see what the buttons do this year, if we get them!

[killswitch22]

If those are hints, I'd be really disappointed. But I doubt they are. It'll be interesting to see what the buttons do this year, if we get them!

I as well. I really hope they don't start from the beginning with trying to make the classic monsters scary again. After how many times they've been at the event it would be quite as dissapointment especially with this being the new era of darkness

[Legacy]

I can get excited about the button presses (although, it does mean that one day Scareactors will be obsolete). And if the Original Monster pictures are a clue (unlikely, considering you can see Harry Potter and Grinchmas posters in the one last year, implying that it's not a clue), I think I could get excited about that. Revisiting "Fright Nights," only now applying the level of polish that twenty years of developed, might not be a bad way to go back to basics.

Again, I really don't think that's the case, but rather some kick butt pieces of art that deserve to be displayed.

[JDW]

I agree. I found it interesting that the connection... but not so keen on the classic monsters. Then again, they did a good job with Dracula, Frankenstein, the wolf man... erhaps that the point... they did them already.

Incidentally, the pictures were painted by Kim Gromoll who is on the A&D team.

Edit: T.J. Also stated they do listen to the forums and they like our ideas and feedback. It's always been said that they do but there you are. So new innovative ideas and constructive criticsm are a good thing and it doesn't fall on deaf ears.

Edited April 25, 2011 by JWFearman

[jadaada]

or perhaps they all rose from the dead?

[LV-426]

I know that Universal cannot change the event MAJORLY and make it completely structured different, but I do hope they have a mentality sort of like Lady Gaga in the way she produces her work

oh you mean HHN copying other halloween events adding their own twist so that is not so obvious? sorry Im just joking lol, dont take me seriously, is just that thinking of gaga and HHN made me dizzy lol!

I don't think anything is going to change except the themes, I mean, the scarezones will be in the same places, houses same places, I think the new era meant all new content, new icons, new characters, new costumes, I don't know, I really don't expect any changes in set up or anything,

[Dr. Jimmy]

If HHN did copy Lady Gaga then there really would be a Vampire Pride scarezone!!!!

(actually I really did think the floating vampire brides in Dracula: Legacy of Blood resembled Gaga!)

[Lambier]

I dont think the idea of having classic monsters would be SO bad. Theres alot of things they could revamp and make new for audiences (after all, I think they did a bang up job with Dracula and Frankenstein. The Wolfman was the only monster I wasnt too thrilled with hah) But would they do it? I dont think so; not after blowing up the idea of "NEW ERA OF DARKNESS". Old monsters arent new. Even a retooled version of them would still be considered old.

[Cody]

I can get excited about the button presses (although, it does mean that one day Scareactors will be obsolete). And if the Original Monster pictures are a clue (unlikely, considering you can see Harry Potter and Grinchmas posters in the one last year, implying that it's not a clue), I think I could get excited about that. Revisiting "Fright Nights," only now applying the level of polish that twenty years of developed, might not be a bad way to go back to basics.

Again, I really don't think that's the case, but rather some kick butt pieces of art that deserve to be displayed.

It'll only make scareactors obsolete when we get androids.

[LV-426]

I might be one of the few that thinks the original Uni Monsters would be great for houses, I mean, the Phantom of the Opera is one of the least scary characters for me, and his room in Silver screams was pretty great,

the wolfman and Frankenstein, were amazing as well (the wolfman house needed some work but it was great nonetheless)

I think if they brought creature from the black lagoon, a Mummy house, it would be good actually

I know this will never happen and those pics are not clues, Im just saying, just because they are old and not scary doesn't mean they wouldn't make great houses, look at Havoc, they had no costumes, just military clothing, the sets were nothing great, and it was the best house of the year, the actors were amazing, what I mean is, just because the subject is not as scary or interesting, doesn't mean the houses wouldn't be great

[Lambier]

I agree blackmask! I think they have potential. Will it ever happen? Not for a few years, if at all. But there's alot they could do with the monsters.

Hell, they could even do a form of "retelling" it; same story but different, more intense elements. Kind of like what they did with Frankenstein

[Mae]

I was doing a bit of thinking today...cuz I'm an HHN nerd and that's what I do...that the newer of the horror movies that make impressions on people's psyche's are very, very intimate (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, REC). They were some of the scariest things I've seen in years. I wonder if HHN can get that sort of intimacy into a house? Can anyone think of how they might be able to recreate that sort of environment?

Mae

Edited April 25, 2011 by Mae

[Circ]

It'll only make scareactors obsolete when we get androids.

BAD IDEA. Very bad idea.

Anyhow, I feel that the fact that buttons are getting integrated is a very good sign. I also have to think that one of the houses from this time around (Maybe Zombiegeddon or HAVOC) are going to get carried over to this year. HHN has had the entire slate cleaned at the moment. It can't stay that way, and I figure they want to get a new house franchise up as soon as possible.

[JDW]

I don't really want to see Havoc and Catacombs back THIS year. It's early on a Monday, but I cannot remember a time when they rehased a house the very next year... except maybe Jack houses... I would find it a bit of a cop-out if they rehased them the very next year.

Keep in mind, we DON't know if the classic monster are clues or not. I think it is improbable but hardly impossible. I do feel that with Frank, Drac, and Wolfman having been just done it would kind of be weak to pull them out again. Unless they reinvent them again... which again I know they have so many awesome ideas it would be weird to rehash already.

Edited April 25, 2011 by JWFearman

[Legacy]

It'll only make scareactors obsolete when we get androids.

BAD IDEA. Very bad idea.

Anyhow, I feel that the fact that buttons are getting integrated is a very good sign. I also have to think that one of the houses from this time around (Maybe Zombiegeddon or HAVOC) are going to get carried over to this year. HHN has had the entire slate cleaned at the moment. It can't stay that way, and I figure they want to get a new house franchise up as soon as possible.

The "Replacement Scareactors" is a joke from rehearsals last year when we heard about the "Guest-Triggered Scare." FYI, that's what the buttons are considered.

Zombiegeddon won't return, because it was already a "franchise" of the North American Zombie Invasion from 2009. I'm 95% positive Havoc will return, because it won HotY while being the "cheap" house. It uses minimum costumes and make-up (seriously, each DoW costume probably cost $20 to make) and succeeded in a reused house. That has to be the greatest thing management has ever seen, especially on the financial side of things. Catacombs, I'm 70% sure is returning in some way. A&D LOVED the Plague Doctors, and its success with guests (one of the highest approval ratings) and its popularity among fans bodes extremely well for its future. The Plague Doctors are, most likely, going to be filling the Body Collector role for a couple more years.

I was doing a bit of thinking today...cuz I'm an HHN nerd and that's what I do...that the newer of the horror movies that make impressions on people's psyche's are very, very intimate (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, REC). They were some of the scariest things I've seen in years. I wonder if HHN can get that sort of intimacy into a house? Can anyone think of how they might be able to recreate that sort of environment?

Mae

Intimacy is hard to pull off in a "congo-line house." It requires deliberate pacing, familiarity, freedom of choice for the guests, and a ceiling (the lack of a ceiling is the easiest way to take a guest out of an experience). It can be done, and I imagine Alone pulled it off (knowing the guest's name helps a lot), but a traditional house requires a few more tricks.

It is possible to "break" a person's psyche though, I believe, and I think Universal has already shown us how. Find the commercial for 2004's HHN ("What's Your Breaking Point." Imagine a house that has a short hallway, followed by a room. You exit that room, go down a short hallway and find yourself in the same room. The scares are in the same place. Short hallway. Same room, different scares. Hall. Same room. Different Scares. Hall. Same room, backwards. Different Scares. Hall. Same room. Same scares from first two rooms. Hall. Upside down room. Structuring a house this way kills any feeling of progression, and the later rooms can have different effects (completely dark, steady strobe shows glimpses of a murder). It forces familiarity and uncertainty because the guest starts to have an expectation, and the trick is challenging those expectations. It would be extremely risky (and probably quite difficult). Making it the longest house of the event (12-13 "scenes" rather than 10) causes even more unease because it causes a feeling like you cannot escape. It could, easily, be the most effective "Mess with Drunks House" without needing elaborate strobes or effects, but rather just clever design.

Call it, "Deja-Vu" and watch the confusion.

[Legacy]

I don't really want to see Havoc and Catacombs back THIS year. It's early on a Monday, but I cannot remember a time when they rehased a house the very next year... except maybe Jack houses... I would find it a bit of a cop-out if they rehased them the very next year.

Scary Tales: 2001, Scary Tales 2, 2002. (Huge hit, returned following year.)

Screamhouse, 2002. Screamhouse: Revisited, 2003. (Huge hit, returned following year. Only returned a third time for Caretaker in Sweet 16).

Psychoscarepy: Maximum Madness, 2006, Home for the Holidays, 2007 (not a rehash, but same franchise). (First house wasn't as big a hit as Maximum Madness, returned following year).

There's precedent for highly successful houses to return immediately.

Catacombs' return wouldn't surprise me because, I imagine, they would want to reuse set pieces. Havoc may return because (like I said above), it's cheap. Both were highly successful payoffs for considerably risky houses (we all thought they would suck before we did them), so their return is likely.

[JDW]

Maximum Madness wasn't the first PS... and I felt it paled to the original (felt like a rehash with Jack thrown in)

I had forgotten the other were the following year. (told you it was early ) Of course the first 5 years or so... DT, PUTS, Psycho... Duh Jeramy...

I mean I guess. I loved Catacombs, didn't really care for HAVOC but I guess that is just my preference. (The scareactors were good though)

I just want to see a little more of this new Era before they start bringing stuff back.

[Mae]

BAD IDEA. Very bad idea.

I thought the exact same thing. How much fun, tho, would that be for a theme?

Mae

[Mae]

The "Replacement Scareactors" is a joke from rehearsals last year when we heard about the "Guest-Triggered Scare." FYI, that's what the buttons are considered.

Zombiegeddon won't return, because it was already a "franchise" of the North American Zombie Invasion from 2009. I'm 95% positive Havoc will return, because it won HotY while being the "cheap" house. It uses minimum costumes and make-up (seriously, each DoW costume probably cost $20 to make) and succeeded in a reused house. That has to be the greatest thing management has ever seen, especially on the financial side of things. Catacombs, I'm 70% sure is returning in some way. A&D LOVED the Plague Doctors, and its success with guests (one of the highest approval ratings) and its popularity among fans bodes extremely well for its future. The Plague Doctors are, most likely, going to be filling the Body Collector role for a couple more years.

Intimacy is hard to pull off in a "congo-line house." It requires deliberate pacing, familiarity, freedom of choice for the guests, and a ceiling (the lack of a ceiling is the easiest way to take a guest out of an experience). It can be done, and I imagine Alone pulled it off (knowing the guest's name helps a lot), but a traditional house requires a few more tricks.

It is possible to "break" a person's psyche though, I believe, and I think Universal has already shown us how. Find the commercial for 2004's HHN ("What's Your Breaking Point." Imagine a house that has a short hallway, followed by a room. You exit that room, go down a short hallway and find yourself in the same room. The scares are in the same place. Short hallway. Same room, different scares. Hall. Same room. Different Scares. Hall. Same room, backwards. Different Scares. Hall. Same room. Same scares from first two rooms. Hall. Upside down room. Structuring a house this way kills any feeling of progression, and the later rooms can have different effects (completely dark, steady strobe shows glimpses of a murder). It forces familiarity and uncertainty because the guest starts to have an expectation, and the trick is challenging those expectations. It would be extremely risky (and probably quite difficult). Making it the longest house of the event (12-13 "scenes" rather than 10) causes even more unease because it causes a feeling like you cannot escape. It could, easily, be the most effective "Mess with Drunks House" without needing elaborate strobes or effects, but rather just clever design.

Call it, "Deja-Vu" and watch the confusion.

Oh....

That's good.

Really good.

I wonder why they didn't use any sort of 'ceiling' last year. It was a bit off-putting, I agree, to look up and see the rafters of the soundstage. It doesn't take much, even some ratty cheesecloth is better than nothing!

Mae